Examples of Sacrificial Love

Since Chapter 12, we have been working out the ways that Christians should live as sacrifices of worship in this world. In Chapter 13, we saw Paul expand that concept to the rule of love – that we should owe no one anything except for a debt of love. So, Christians should love one another by sacrificing our preferences and practices. We should also love one another by sacrificing our liberties for the sake of weaker brothers and sisters.

Now, we come to the end of Paul’s principles of sacrifice and love with our text today from Rom. 15:1-7. From this passage I want you to see two points: Examples of Sacrificial Love and the Goals of Sacrificial Love.

First, let’s consider the examples of sacrificial love from verses 1-4. Paul begins these verses by reminding us of this rule of love in verses 1-2. On the one hand, coming right on the heels of his guidance to the strong in faith, he emphasizes that those who are strong (or mature) should bear with the failings of the weak. Remember, for Paul, “strong” refers to someone who is mature and able to distinguish between wisdom, tradition, and law, while “weak” refers to someone who is immature or young in the faith and is not so ready to throw off wisdom and tradition. The strong, therefore, should bear with the weak. We shouldn’t flaunt our freedoms. We should be mindful of how our freedoms might be perceived by those who are young in faith. On the other hand, Paul emphasizes that everyone, regardless of maturity level, should “please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Our focus as believers within the body of Christ should be for the good of other believers. We shouldn’t be concerned about our own recognition or the benefits we get from membership or the respect we think we deserve for our family’s long membership in the church. Instead, we should sacrifice of whatever pride or status or rights we have for the sake of discipling others.

To drive this point home, Paul turns to two examples that we should look to as we offer this sacrifice of love. The first example is the ultimate one. In verse 3 he calls us to consider the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Specifically, consider the fact that Jesus did not seek his own glory or claim his own right. Instead, he was willing to accept the reproaches of sinful men so that he might save us. Paul says much the same thing in Philippians 2:5-8: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” So catch the point that Paul is making: our mindset should be that of Jesus’s, and Jesus had far more to give up that we ever could. Jesus was in the very form of God. From all of eternity, Jesus had enjoyed fellowship with his Father in perfect, trinitarian union. Yet, he emptied himself, which is to say that he chose to submit to the will and plan of his Father for the sake of his saving purposes. He was willing to do that, even to the point of the cruelest death that one could imagine. If Jesus, who was in the very form of God, could go from extreme power and pride to such low humiliation, then we can certainly give up our liberties or our preferences for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

The second example Paul gives of sacrificial love are those of Scripture. In verse 4 he tells us, “whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction.” In other words, we should also consider the examples of saints from Scripture. Consider the sacrifices of Joseph, who was despised by his brother to the point that they sold him into slavery. Yet, when Joseph had reached the pinnacle of Egyptians society and his brothers came groveling for food, he didn’t raise the hand of vengeance. He extended the hand of fellowship and forgiveness.

Consider the sacrifices of Daniel and his friends. They were ripped from their homeland, taken into slavery in Babylon. They were likely made eunuchs, forced to learn a new language, educate themselves on Babylonian religion and law, and adopt Babylonian culture. But they didn’t rebel. They didn’t fight against every cultural demand. They didn’t conspire against the king. No. They sought the good of the city to which they were taken. Yet, even there they would not betray the worship of the one true God or bow the knee to false gods. They were faithful witnesses even while they understood that they could adapt to the culture of their captivity.

Consider Peter, from Acts 10. There we are told that God sent a dream to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. He was told to send for Peter, that Peter might share the Gospel with him. At the same time, Peter received a vision from God of a giant sheet coming down from the clouds. On that sheet were all sorts of unclean animals. A voice from heaven called out, “Take and eat”, and Peter repeatedly refused to eat, saying, “nothing unclean has ever touched my lips.” On the second time, the voice answered: “What God has made clean, do not call common.” Once Peter met Cornelius, he understood that God wasn’t just talking about unclean meat. He was also talking about Gentiles who were coming to faith in Christ. You see, good Jews didn’t deal with Gentiles. They believed that a Gentile could make you unclean because of their pagan practices. So, God was preparing Peter to receive Cornelius into the family of God by dealing with this man-made tradition about the Gentiles. All of these and more are examples of how we should live sacrificially as believers.

So finally, let’s consider the second point – the goals of sacrificial love – from verses 5-7. Here Paul gives us two goals that we should pursue as we love others sacrificially. One goal is that we might live in harmony as the family of God. I have seen conflict arise in churches over the craziest of things. I knew of one situation in which members of a church came into conflict over what to do with an electric organ that no longer worked. Most of the church just wanted to throw it away, but a small group protested because someone had donated it. The small group won out, and so this broken, useless organ sits to this day in the choir room, taking up space because of the preferences of a few members. In another case, I know of a church in which a very serious conflict arose over a kitchen renovation. One woman had plans to remodel the kitchen cabinets herself, even though the church voted to contract the work out. That conflict became so heated that the church nearly split. Brothers and sisters, these quarrels over preferences should not be. They shouldn’t be because we are to live as sacrifices of love. We are to give up what we want for the sake of others because we want to live in harmony.

The second goal of sacrificial love is found in verse 6: “that together you may with one voice glorify God.” When we love one another and live in harmony, we glorify God. We are able to worship with, be discipled and taught by, and even corrected by our brothers and sisters. The world looks at us, in that harmony and mutual love, and they can’t help but see the glory of God. May we leave this place ready to offer the sacrifice of love, pursuing harmony and the glory of God.